Customer Reviews

Kaputt

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dan Bejar, the man behind such great acts as The New Pornographers and Destroyer, seems to have gotten lost in 1982. He's made a beautifully time altering album that literally makes me feel I have just walked into a brooding angst ridden teens bedroom in the 1980s with the sweet sounds of jazz sax, synth, and smooth bass. This is just such an amazingly chill album but at the same time makes you feel like breaking out those cheesy dance moves from middle school dances from the 80s. I can't imagine anyone hating this album, easily the best of 2011 so far and it will most likely have a high spot in my end of the year list.

Stand out tracks include -

Savage Night at the Opera
Kaputt
Bay of Pigs

But the rest are in no way filler, give it a listen, get lost, enjoy.

Destroyer's Kaputt is that rare album where you know if you're going to love it in the first two minutes. With that in mind, opener Chinatown is a lush, gorgeous pop gem with a jazzy sway and really brilliant instrumentation that evokes a kind of mid-afternoon in paradise feel. Distant horns, slinky bass, and cavernous drums create a feeling of an endless blue sky, the kind you simply walk underneath until you can't walk another step. Bejar's vocals on the record remind me of a more restrained Torquil Campbell, breathy and highly emotive, and yearning for something that no one can quite describe.

The sound of this record is pure and clean, groovy, jazzy, and totally steeped in melody. The hooks are strong and will pull you into the record in minutes, but the album isn't without a darker edge, as evidenced by the epic closer, Bay of Pigs. The song is rightfully named, evoking the tropical feel of Cuba and pairing it with an ominous, foreboding sound.

It's tough for me to say too much about this album because I'm busy getting sucked back into it as I write. Doubtlessly, this will close out the year as one of the best of 2011. I can't recommend it enough, pick it up.

I just received the vinyl version of Kaputt. When I ordered it I was expecting the usual goodies that accompany a $20+ vinyl release: beautiful packaging, good artwork, and a great sounding record. Well I got all of that, and more. In addition to the regular songs that are available on the CD or digital download, it came with over 20 minutes of extra music. Most of it is instrumental, punctuated with occasional vocal flourishes. All of the extra tracks seem like a perfect complement to what is already such a great record. If you love the relaxing production of the main record, then you deserve to hear the rest.

I know this is early, and likely a bit rash... but I'm going to call it album of the year. I know there will be other better known artists releasing big titles this year... like the Strokes, Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, etc. The thing is that with all of those artists we can pretty much know what to expect - records which are at least as good or not quite as good as their previous efforts. With Kaputt, Destroyer has not only made music that he hasn't made before, he's made music that I've never heard before (and I've heard a lot of music). This is a seriously good record, and I can't express enough how happy I am about having the vinyl version show up with the extra tracks. I'm sure that in the not too distant future the bonus stuff will be available on a special edition CD or download, but for now the best experience to be had is with the LP.

During high school, I was introduced to a plethora of independent bands that diversified from Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and Destroyer. Among these bands, I didn't really "get" Destroyer. With every yelp, scream and screech that came from Bejar's mouth, it was agonizing to listen to and it formulated an anxious and uncomfortable feeling to my ears . To simply put it, Destroyer was a band that I decided to completely ignore. This all happened in 2006 and I am glad that I decided to give Destroyer another try when the pop-gem single, "Chinatown," was released late last year for their 2011 album, Kaputt.

With over fifteen years of musicianship and ten studio albums, Dan Bejar, the singer-songwriter of Destroyer has accomplished a grandeur at the age of thirty-eight. Kaputt is heavily influenced from the 80's era of music and it becomes evident with each song being jam-packed with dainty new-age synthesizers and lush, smooth jazz saxophone and trumpet solos.

In Kaputt, Bejar has toned down his yelps and screeches and has actually become pleasant and soothing to hear. What makes Bejar's style so distinct among many other musicians is his poetic style in lyrics. Bejar occasionally spits out random Pavement-esque phrases, but does so in an orderly manner.

With the help of Sibel Thrasher, a backup vocalist on Kaputt, her voice shadows Bejar's voice and adds an overall subtle effect. One of the defining moments on this album is "Suicide Note for Kara Walker" -- an eight-minute jewel that carries an ambient, hazy intro and an intimate flute solo that creates a perpetual feeling of despair.

It doesn't take a music critic to know that this album is enjoyable and poppy right off the bat. Take some time and listen to the entirety of this album and you'll be hooked.

This may be the disc that puts Dan Bejar on the map as not just a mad musical genius who creates indie rock for music geeks (like myself) and occasionally records and plays with the New Pornographers, but as an artist who is on the verge of envisioning the way music might sound in this current decade.

Kaputt is almost certain at this stage of the game to be on many Best of 2011 lists and rightly so. It is an immaculately produced gem that really can't be compared to anything that has been released in the last 25 years. You can compare it to Avalon or Aja, and yes, it is that well-produced and incorporates jazzy flourishes like trumpet, sax, female backing vocals, ambient sounds and fretless bass. But it would be too easy to say it sounds like something else. It has a sound that is retro yet extremely modern. One thing it does not sound like is any of Destroyer's eight albums before it.

Like all of Destroyer's classics, like Streethawk: A Seduction and Rubies, Kaputt borrows from the past, but incorporates past styles into a style that is undeniably the sound of Destroyer. Bejar's voice is in top form here - always passionate, he has toned down to fit the style of the album, and his vocals I have to say are beautiful. Bejar is enhanced by Sibel Thrasher, who provides spine-tingling melodies on Blue Eyes and Downtown. The intro to Blue Eyes alone is pure musical bliss.

The trumpet and sax flourishes work to create a tapestry along with the driving bass and striking guitar solos by Destroyer stalwart Nicolas Bragg. This is a headphone album and you will hear sounds on repeated listens that you never heard the first time around. There is so much musical interplay going on in the title track and Suicide Demo for Kara Walker I just listen amazed.

I had already heard Bay of Pigs (and reviewed it) when Destroyer released the EP back in 2009, but it fits perfectly at the end of the album and has been modified on the last few verses to include Sibel Thrasher's vocals. I said back then that it signalled a new sound and I was curious to see where it lead. Well this is where's it lead... amazing!

Is this Destroyer's best? Possibly. There isn't a bad track on it - it is fantastic from start to finish. However it is the most accessible of Destroyer's immense body of work and may transition them out of cult status. It is a brilliant production, and makes you realize that not only is Dan Bejar an exceptional songwriter is also a musical visionary. If you have not heard this album, I recommend you do so now.

But in a good way. Sure this falls into the current trend of '80s-revival dream pop but the songs, vocals, arrangements and art are all spot on. You can either criticize it or submit to it. Buy the vinyl.

This album is currently leading the race for the title of 'Best Album of 2011'. I have listened to it constantly for the past few months and cannot seem to tire of the music on this album. I am a huge fan of Roxy Music, and Destroyer faithfully have channeled musical energy from this time and space to create a modern interpretation of this new wave/romantic style. Every track on the album is fantastic, and it is an album that will reveal new favourite songs to you over time at different points in your life. I have had trouble picking my favourite songs on the album, as last week it was 'Poor in Love', yet this week it is 'Downtown'. This is without mentioning the amazing final track 'Bay of Pigs (Detail)' that makes you stop in time and space for 11 minutes to get lost in the ambient beauty of it.

I think what has made the album even more enjoyable for me is that the first time I listened to it all the way through I learned/played the bass in each song as I went through it, picking it up as I went along. This involvement on the first listen created a real connection with the music, and even months later since I first got the album it remains fresh in my mind. Not to mention that the bass is the driving force of every song on the album (bar first halves of 'Poor in love' and 'Bay of Pigs'), and any album that features loud, pure, and addictive bass always makes me love the music even more.

Dan's vocals on the album are really beautiful. Some say his voice is an acquired taste but I think that is rubbish. His voice is a simple thing - it's pure and is as it is, with it's own personality revealing itself to the listener with nothing to hide. He isn't a 'great' singer, but, as David Byrne once said: "The better the singers voice is, the harder it is to believe what they are saying." This is apt here, as his voice is imperfect, but it suits this music to a key.

Conclusively, the album is one of the most enduring pieces of music to come out of the year 2011 so far. It is sexy - but not sleazy, funky - but not over complicated, and most of all it sounds really great. The songs themselves make you feel optimistic and positive about life, and the music works really well when on a walk or relaxing in your lounge room on a warm Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if this album is looked back upon in 30 years as I myself look back fondly of albums from David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, or the Beatles now. It sounds timeless, and I have no doubt in my mind that it will sound as fresh as it does in 30 years as it does today.

One thing you can say for Destroyer, Dan Bejar is never content to rest on his laurels. After the triumph that was Rubies, and the surprisingly similar follow-up The Trouble in Dreams, we knew a sharp left was coming. And it does, in Kaputt. Owing as much to 80's easy listening and new wave as it does indie rock, Kaputt is an album unlike any of Destroyer's other output. As a long time fan, I can't speak to how new listeners will appreciate it, but for long time fans it might take a little longer to crack, but the rewards are as strong as ever. The album ends with last year's amazing release "Bay of Pigs," and although it's been cut down 3 to 4 minutes, I can't even tell. Another must own for Destroyer fans, just don't be surprised if you have to listen to it a while to appreciate it.

What a surprise this album is from Vancouver's Dan Bejar a man who has paid his dues since establishing the Destroyers brand in 1995. The sound he throws into the ring to underpin this new album "Kaputt" lifts liberally from the musical embarrassment of early eighties lounge lizards such as Kenny G and David Sanborn, throws in a spice of Sade's "Diamond Life" and wraps it under the blanket of West coast based smooth jazz and Studio 54 disco sounds. Yes it sounds a bit insane and on occasions you suspect that Bejar the architect of all this eccentricity could have found the words "sectioned under the mental health" whispered by the studio producer. But it works and is often very funny to boot. This is much more than just a piece of 80s retro and like Gayngs recently evoking the ghost of 10cc here the key reference point is Brian Ferry all done up in a suave suit singing "Avalon" with saxophones blazing, but with cigarette ash smeared into the shiny lapels and with a bitter "morning after the night before" taste left in your mouth.

Take the title track for example, it is as smooth as silk with Fejar producing one of those great Bernard Edwards Chic style bass riffs and confessing to "chasing cocaine through the back rooms of the world all night" this he before he also regrets that "Sounds, Smash Hits, Melody Maker and NME all sound like a dream to me". Throughout Fejar doesn't take himself to seriously and the warm tongue in cheek nature of the lyrics give the album considerable charm albeit with with odd bot of pretention thrown in for good measure. Overall the songs are excellent. "Chinatown" is a smooth ballad which Neil Tenant from the Pet Shop Boys would have killed to write, and granted while certain pasts of the eight minute plus "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker" would sound ok in a lift it is rescued by Bejars deadpan vocals and dry wit and becomes a another gorgeous regretful lament. There are some complaints with the eleven minute plus "Bay of Pigs" taking time to hit the ground running and suggesting that there is unfortunately an excessive by product to all the imagination and inventiveness being poured into this album since it is overly long and contains a number of songs within songs some brilliant some deadly dull.

We can forgive Bejar the odd misstep however since he is ultimately a great stylist who is prepared to take risks and on other tracks such as the lovely trumpet infused "Blue eyes" and the soft rock funk of "Song for America" his creative juices flow and he sets out his vision "of going on vacation on the dark side of town forever" This is an album which clearly has a serious intent and is infused with delicious little cultural references but it is all done with a knowing nod and wink. For example on the terrific New Order infused "Savage Night at the opera" Bejar observes that "Let's face it, old souls like us are being born to die/It's not a war till someone loses an eye" on a warm pop song that will have your feet tapping and that finishes with a guitar solo riff nicked from OMDs "Enola Gay"! " Kaputt" is one of those albums destined to talked and argued about. It is reckless in its influences despite how safe they are and it is ultimately jam packed with great songs. The irony then is that the Destroyer may have salvaged enough of the good elements of what was a pretty wretched time in music to produce an album that will undoubtedly figure highly in many end of year lists.

It's only 4 weeks into 2011 but I feel _Kaputt_ has a shot of being album of the year. The music, lyrics, instrumentation, production, everything comes close to perfection. Destroyer, a Vancouver band led by Dan Bejar (part time member of the New Pornographers), has been putting out music since the mid-90s with very little fanfare or recognition. I suppose it was only a matter of time that they produced something like the near masterpiece that is this album.

The mood of this album is nostalgic, dreamy, poignant and romantic. I'd like to think of the songs as the late night thoughts of a man wandering home after a glass of wine (or two) too many. Dan Bejar apparently described the sound as European blues, but a better reference point for me is 80's Roxy Music _Avalon_ circa 1982. Or perhaps a more ethereal Steely Dan. The defining characteristic of the album has to be the inclusion of a trumpet and saxophone, which almost act as living, breathing characters in the stories Bejar weaves. Also, Sibel Thrasher's backing female vocals adds a strong supporting presence to the songs.

Four tracks stand out for me :
1. The opener "Chinatown", is probably my favorite on the album. With a mid-tempo beat, it outlines Bejar's attraction with his neighborhood and perhaps also a loved one. Like most of the songs on here, it features lovely synths and horns adding vivid colors to the song's palette as Bejar and Thrasher sing "I can't walk away / You can't walk away". Brilliant stuff.

2. "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker" - A stream of consciousness classic inspired by (or a collaboration with) artist Kara Walker. It's an 8 minute tour de force, beginning with a plaintive intro with synths, acoustic guitar, piano and then flute all taking turns one at a time introducing themselves to us before Bejar comes in with his voice singing about a host of things (America and Dixie?), and leading up to a stunning conclusion with horn/sax dominating over an interwoven staccato guitar.

3. "Kaputt" - The song that introduced me to the album. It opens with the lyrics "Wasting your days chasing some girls, alright/ Chasing cocaine through the backrooms of the world all night", and leads to a beautiful electric guitar break, and self-references to another song on the album and the sax is featured in a slow, meandering close.

4. "Downtown" - Opening up with some throbbing bass, it leads to a catchy guitar riff, and an anthemic break in the middle with glorious synths and bass. Throughout the song, Sibel Thrasher's vocals seem to shadow Bejar's wonderfully.

Other tracks like "Blue Eyes" with it's wonderful, ethereal guitar moments at the end of the song and "Savage Night at the Opera", with it's nod to New Order are also highlights on the album.

_Kaputt_ will be on my player for a long time. Although it's released in the middle of winter the songs on here are more reminiscent of sweet, gentle, humid air coming of the ocean in summertime. 15 years into his career, Bejar hits one completely out of the park. Who knew?

**** 1/2 stars.